1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the packing and shipping of erosion control blankets, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to the packing, handling, storing and shipping of erosion control blankets adapted for delivery to customers in generally cylindrical, rolled configurations.
2. History of the Prior Art
For both aesthetic and environmental control reasons, it is often necessary or desirable to grow ground vegetation such as, for example, grass, on flat land or slopes, channels, and bare earth areas to inhibit erosion due to effects of wind and rain. The successful sprouting and growth of ground vegetation planted on these areas, however, is often prevented by soil erosion which planted vegetation is designed to inhibit, the erosion frequently carrying away at least some portion of the soil before vegetation takes hold.
To alleviate this problem, it is now a common practice to cover the area with fibrous, mat-like members commonly referred to as erosion control blankets. Erosion control blankets in general are discussed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/648,906, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. One particularly effective erosion control blanket is the CURLEX® or excelsior blanket manufactured and sold by the American Excelsior Company of Arlington, Tex. since 1964. This erosion control blanket is fabricated, in elongated rectangular mat form, from elongated, randomly intertwined fibers commonly referred to as excelsior or wood wool. The erosion control blanket assemblies are typically packaged in individually rolled bundles to facilitate their handling and transport to the erosion control job site. The cost of transportation is, therefore, a significant factor to be considered in the purchase of the erosion control blankets.
Once packed, shipped and delivered to the job site, the erosion control blanket bundles are unrolled in a side-to-side relationship along an earth area to be protected against erosion, and are secured along sides of one another and to an underlying ground area with a use of a spaced series of conventional ground staple members, which may be made of, for example, steel, wood, plastic, starch, or the like. The installed erosion control blankets generally have parallel sides and abut one another to form a substantially solid surface to shield the underlying earth area, and thus the planted ground vegetation therein, from wind and water erosion forces.
The individual fibers forming the mat portion of various types of the erosion control blankets collectively define therebetween a plurality of small interstitial regions through which the planted ground vegetation may upwardly sprout and grow. During such shielded vegetation growth, some varieties of the erosion control blankets, such as the CURLEX® blanket decompose, ultimately being replaced by the emerging ground vegetation.
The innovative approach to utilizing excelsior wood fibers in an erosion control blanket has been found to be both economically viable and environmentally effective for erosion control considerations. Due to the ever growing number of federal, state, and municipal regulations requiring protective measures in the area of erosion control, the shipment of and cost for delivery of such erosion control units has become increasingly important. Due to the size and length of the erosion blankets, such as the above referenced CURLEX® erosion control blanket, shipping and handling is of major concern for both the manufacturer and an ultimate user. When the erosion control blankets are packed for shipment in a less then efficient manner, the amount of space necessary for shipment will be less cost effective. A need therefore exists for a method of efficient, space-saving packaging and handling of erosion control blankets in a manner facilitating reduced cost and ease in storage, packing, and use.